insomnia

My 13yo son has recently begun to have "death and dying" thoughts.  2 wks ago, he woke up at 11:30pm and asked to talk to me re: what is there after life, do we just die?  I was thinking about reincarnation".  He hasn't really slept very well and these thoughts come at night. Our Nurse Practioner gave him some Atarax 25mgs to use for a couple of weeks then if the thoughts were still there, a psych consult.  Can a video game that he's always playing, the sept 11 events, and just changing into a teenager have culmiated in the thoughts.  I do have a 2nd cousin , male, that has Manic depression.  Is this something I should be more concerned about?

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

The behavior you describe should not worry you in re: to the possibility of a mood disorder. It's probably, in the absence of any direct evidence from your son, not helpful to speculate on what might be promoting his concern. The advice you received from the NP is wise.